Knicks Agree to Trade Chandler and Felton to Mavericks

Jose Calderon, with Dallas in February, could work well in the triangle offense for the Knicks.Credit
Stan Honda/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Phil Jackson has been fairly methodical in his short tenure as the Knicks’ president.

He spent the final weeks of the regular season evaluating personnel. He took months to hire a coach. He preached patience, especially as he established the goal of building financial flexibility so the team could pursue free agents — not this summer, but next. Through it all, he cautioned that there would be no quick fixes.

On Wednesday, though, Jackson made his boldest move to date, helping to engineer a multiplayer trade with the Dallas Mavericks that reconfigured the Knicks’ roster. The Knicks agreed to send Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Mavericks in exchange for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin and two second-round picks in Thursday night’s N.B.A. draft.

“The journey to build this team for the upcoming season and beyond continues,” Jackson said in a statement. “We have added players with this move that will fit right in to our system while maintaining future flexibility.”

It was a major transaction for the Knicks, who gained an experienced point guard in Calderon while freeing themselves of Felton, who underperformed last season and had two years left on his contract. In addition, Jackson made good on his goal of gaining access to a deep draft. Because of various trades in recent seasons, the Knicks had been left without a pick in either round. They acquired the 34th and 51st picks from Dallas.

The deal, which was first reported by ESPN, was brokered in the wake of Carmelo Anthony’s recent decision to opt out of his contract. Jackson has said that he would like to try to re-sign Anthony, who intends to explore free agency. How the deal with Dallas will affect Anthony’s thought process is unclear, but it does give Jackson some flexibility to make more moves in the short term while he continues to target the free-agent market in 2015.

Calderon and Dalembert, a center, were both starters for the Mavericks last season. Calderon in particular was a steady presence, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 assists per game. He turns 33 in September, though, and has three years left on a deal that will pay him more than $7 million per season. It is a financial commitment for the Knicks, but one that Jackson is apparently willing to make.

Calderon is a reliable shooter and passer and could work well in the triangle offense. One of Calderon’s teammates on the Spanish national team is the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol, who could be one of the top free agents available in 2015 and who, as an exceptional passer for a big man, would be a fine fit as the focal point of the triangle. Jackson coached Gasol’s older brother, Pau, with the Los Angeles Lakers.

By reacquiring Chandler, Dallas netted the top player in the deal and a familiar face. Chandler was a defensive linchpin for the Mavericks when they won the N.B.A. championship in 2011. He joined the Knicks through a sign-and-trade deal before the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season and was named the league’s defensive player of the year that season. He also helped the Knicks win 54 games in the 2012-13 season.

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But this past season was nothing short of a disaster, for Chandler and for the Knicks. After he missed a big chunk of the season because of a broken foot, Chandler sparred with Mike Woodson, then the team’s coach, through the news media as the Knicks tumbled out of playoff contention.

After the season, Chandler said he was eager for an opportunity to vie for another title. He could have that chance with the Mavericks, who lost to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs, in a seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs.

Felton, too, had a dismal season. He was often injured and struggled to run the offense. He also ran into off-the-court trouble. This week, he entered a guilty plea to a felony gun charge in exchange for avoiding jail time. He was due $4.4 million next season with a player option worth $4.5 million for 2015-16, and the Knicks were eager to unload him.

Dalembert ($3.9 million), Ellington ($2.5 million) and Larkin ($1.6 million) are relatively inexpensive pieces for the Knicks, and none of their contracts are guaranteed past next season, which should help the Knicks maintain space under the salary cap.

Larkin, 21, was a first-round pick last year but struggled to crack the Mavericks’ rotation because of inexperience and injury. He has potential and could be packaged as part of another deal, according to a person familiar with the Knicks’ plans.

Wednesday’s deal leaves the Knicks thin in the frontcourt, at least for now. Andrea Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire each have one year remaining on their contracts, but Bargnani tends to drift to the perimeter, and Stoudemire has been hindered by knee injuries.

If nothing else, Jackson made clear, with one bold stroke, that he does not intend to be a spectator in the coming weeks. The departures of Chandler and Felton could signal that even more changes are coming.

A version of this article appears in print on June 26, 2014, on Page B11 of the New York edition with the headline: Knicks Trade Two Veterans for a Passer and Flexibility. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe